Employing modulation layer mapping to improve performance of mimo communication systems

ABSTRACT

The disclosed subject matter relates to employing modulation layer mapping to improve the performance of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems. In one embodiment, a method comprises determining, by a device comprising a processor, codeword information in association with establishment of a wireless communication link with a network device of a wireless communication network, wherein the device and the network device are configured to communicate via the communication link using a MIMO communication scheme. The determining the codeword information comprises determining a code rate and determining a number of modulation indexes for the code rate based on signal-to-noise ratios respectively associated with channel layers included in the MIMO communication scheme. The method further comprises sending, by the device, the codeword information to the network device via a control channel of the wireless communication link.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject patent application is a continuation of, and claims priorityto each of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/060,974, filed Oct. 1,2020, and entitled “EMPLOYING MODULATION LAYER MAPPING TO IMPROVEPERFORMANCE OF MIMO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/586,994 (now U.S. Pat. No.10,833,897), filed May 4, 2017, and entitled “EMPLOYING MODULATION LAYERMAPPING TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF MIMO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,” theentireties of which priority applications are hereby incorporated byreference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates to employing modulation layermapping to improve the performance of multiple-input and multiple-output(MIMO) communication systems.

BACKGROUND

To meet the huge demand for data centric applications, Third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) systems and systems that employ one or moreaspects of the specifications of the Fourth Generation (4G) standard forwireless communications will be extended to a Fifth Generation (5G)standard for wireless communications. Fifth generation (5G) wirelesscommunication networks are currently being developed and expected tohandle a very wide range of use cases and requirements, including amongothers mobile broadband (MBB) and machine type communications (MTCs).For mobile broadband, 5G wireless communication networks are expected tofulfill the demand of exponentially increasing data traffic and to allowpeople and machines to enjoy gigabit data rates with virtually zerolatency. Compared to existing fourth generation (4G) technologies, suchas long-term evolution (LTE) networks and advanced LTE networks, 5G istargeting much higher throughput with low latency and utilizing highercarrier frequencies and wider bandwidths, at the same time reducingenergy consumption and costs.

While LTE can provide increased capacity using standard antennatechniques, widespread deployment and optimization of MIMO antennatechniques can have a multiplicative effect on LTE's data throughput.MIMO communication systems can significantly increase the data carryingcapacity of wireless systems. For these reasons, MIMO is an integralpart of Third (3G) and Fourth generation (4G) wireless systems. Fifthgeneration (5G) systems will also employ MIMO systems to meet thevarious demands of data centric applications. Further, the number ofantennas at the transmitter and receiver side for 5G MIMO systems willbe increased (e.g., up to hundreds of antennas at the transmitter andreceiver side) to increase system capacity, a concept referred to asmassive MIMO. For example, typically in a MIMO system with a number oftransmit antennas (N_(t)) and receive antennas (N_(r)), the peak datarate multiplies with a factor of N_(t) over single antenna systems inrich scattering environment. However, unique challenges exist inassociation capitalizing on the full capacity of higher rank (e.g.,greater than 2) MIMO systems to provide the levels of service associatedwith forthcoming 5G standards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example wireless communication systemthat facilitates employing modulation layer mapping to improve theperformance of MIMO communication systems in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 2 presents a signaling diagram illustrating the conventionalmessaging sequence for downlink data transfer in 5G systems.

FIG. 3 presents another signaling diagram illustrating the messagingsequence for downlink data transfer in 5G systems employing modulationlayer mapping in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of thesubject disclosure.

FIG. 4 presents a block diagram illustrating the transmission side of aMIMO communication system with N_(t) transmit antennas in accordancewith various aspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 5 provides a chart illustrating the spectrum efficiency comparisonfor 1, 2, 3 and 4 codeword MIMO in accordance with various aspects andembodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 6 provides a chart describing the codeword dimensioning mappingrequirements for a four-rank capable MIMO system.

FIG. 7 illustrates example transmission block to layer mappings inaccordance with conventional codeword dimensioning.

FIG. 8 illustrates example transmission block to layer mappings inaccordance with modulation layer mapping in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user equipment (UE) that facilitatesmodulation layer mapping in accordance with various aspects andembodiments of the subject disclosure.

FIG. 10 provides a chart demonstrating example codeword information inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example network node that facilitates modulationlayer mapping in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of thesubject disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method that employs modulation layermapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systems inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example method that employs modulation layermapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systems inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates another example method that employs modulation layermapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systems inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 15 depicts an example schematic block diagram of a computingenvironment with which the disclosed subject matter can interact.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example block diagram of a computing systemoperable to execute the disclosed systems and methods in accordance withan embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure is directed to computer processing systems,computer-implemented methods, apparatus and/or computer program productsthat provide modulation layer mapping to improve the performance of MIMOcommunication systems. Spatial multiplexing is a transmission techniquein MIMO wireless communication systems to transmit independent andseparately encoded data signals, so-called streams, from each of thetransmit antennas. In spatial multiplexing, the network node (e.g., aneNodeB) divides the data to be sent to a given user equipment (UE) on agiven sub-channel into data streams, called layers. The number of layersis the same as the rank of the transmission. The transmission rank isdetermined according to channel conditions at the UE, as well as otherconsiderations such as available resources at the network node. Themaximum transmission rank of a MIMO communication system is equal to thenumber of transmit antennas (N_(t)) or the number of receive antennas(N_(r)) when the number of transmit antennas and the number of receiveantennas is the same. Otherwise, the maximum rank is equal to the numberof transmit antennas N_(t) or the number receive antennas, whichever isless.

With multiple-layer transmissions, data arrives from higher levelprocesses in one or more codewords. Each codeword is then mapped ontoone or more layers. There are a number of processing steps involved inthe generation of a codeword from a transport block (TB). Theseprocessing steps can involve encoding the TB with a defined code rate orTB size and a defined modulation or modulation index. As used herein, acodeword refers to a TB, data packet, data stream, information block, orthe like, with a defined code rate and a defined modulation index. Theterms code rate and TB size are used herein interchangeably.Multicodeword MIMO refers to a MIMO transmission scheme or protocol thatinvolves the transmission of two or more codewords. Because eachcodeword can be mapped to a single layer, the maximum theoreticalcodeword capacity of a MIMO system is equal to the number of layers. Forexample, in a 4×4 MIMO system (e.g., meaning four transmit antennas atthe eNodeB and four receive antennas at the UE), the maximum number ofdifferent codewords that can be transmitted is four (one on each layer).

In general, when channel conditions are favorable (e.g., meaning a highsignal-to-noise (SNR) ratio and/or a signal-to-interference plus noise(SINR) ratio is observed), the greater the number of codewordstransmitted, the greater the system performance, in terms of spectrumefficiency, capacity, throughput, etc. Thus, in the best case scenario,in order to achieve the highest system performance (e.g., the upperbound on the channel capacity), at high SNR and/or SINR channelconditions, the MIMO system should operate at full capacity with adifferent codeword assigned to each available layer. However, withconventional multicodeword MIMO, the feedback channel overhead in boththe downlink and uplink control channels is proportional to thetransmission rank. For example, if the UE reported transmission rank isequal to four, the receive antennas (N_(r)) need to report four channelquality indicators (CQIs). Similarly, the transmit antennas (N_(t)) needto inform the UE of four transport block sizes, four modulation indexes,four hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process numbers, fourredundancy versions etc. Hence, the feedback channel overhead isproportional to the transmission rank. Accordingly, with multicodewordcapable MIMO systems (e.g., meaning any MIMO system with a transmissionrank of two or greater), there is a trade-off between system performanceachieved through maximizing the number of codewords transmitted andreducing overhead cost.

In current LTE multicodeword capable MIMO systems, codeword dimensioninghas been employed to reduce the overhead cost associated with the uplinkand downlink feedback. With codeword dimensioning, the available channellayers are bundled to support a maximum two codewords. In this regard,up to two TBs can be transmitted per transmission time interval (TTI),where each TB corresponds to one codeword. Each codeword is separatelycoded using turbo coding and the coded bits from each codeword arescrambled separately. The complex-valued modulation symbols for each ofthe codewords to be transmitted are mapped onto one or multiple layers.Note that the main principle behind the LTE codeword dimensioning isthat whenever the transmission rank is more than two, the transportblock size is increased to accommodate a greater number of bits.

With codeword dimensioning, although a MIMO system may support more thantwo layers, the number of transport blocks and corresponding codewordsis still limited to two. As a result, the uplink and downlink feedbackcan be reduced to include only the information necessary to support oneor two codewords. For example, in the case of a 4×4 MIMO transmissionscheme, when two codewords are used as opposed to four, the feedbackoverhead can be reduced 50%. Likewise, when one codeword is used asopposed to four, the feedback overhead can be reduced 75%. However, theproblem with codeword dimensioning however is that by using one or twocodewords, although the feedback signaling overhead is reduced, the linkthroughput is impacted as MIMO layers with different channel qualitiesare coupled as codeword. For example, consider a scenario where a singlecodeword is used in association with a MIMO transmission protocol rankof eight and thus eight corresponding layers. In accordance with a onecodeword maximum codeword dimensioning protocol, the UE is configuredreport the channel quality corresponding to the layer which has thelowest SNR. Hence even if the other seven channel layers have high SNRs,the feedback requirements applied by the one codeword maximum codeworddimensioning protocol prevents the network node from schedulingcodewords with higher modulation indexes and code rates (or transportblock sizes) to the corresponding higher SNR channel layers. Thisresults in significant loss of link throughput, especially as the numberof available channel layers increases in higher rank MIMO systems. Thus,when MIMO codeword dimensioning is applied, system performance isdegraded at the cost of reduced overhead.

The subject disclosure provide an alternative and improved solution tocodeword dimensioning that provides the link throughput gains attributedto usage of additional codewords relative to the maximum two codewordsallowed with codeword dimensioning, while at the same time reducing thesignaling feedback overhead traditionally associated with an increasingthe number of codewords. This alternative and improved solution isreferred to herein as modulation layer mapping. The main principlebehind modulation layer mapping is that instead of using one modulationper each codeword, the modulation within a codeword can be different foreach channel layer or for groups or subsets of channel layers. Forexample, with respect to a 4×4 MIMO system that uses a single codeworddefined by a single code rate (or TB size) and modulation index, thecodeword can be defined by a single code rate (or TB size) and two ormore modulation indexes. In this regard, each distinct coderate/modulation index pair can be considered separate codewords.Further, each distinct code rate/modulation index pair can be determinedbased on the particular SNR associated with each different channel layerto which it is applied.

For example, in accordance with the disclosed modulation layer mappingtechniques, a codeword can have one code rate, (e.g., such as code rate1 (CR1)) and two modulation indexes (e.g., such modulation index 1 (MI1)and modulation index 2 (MI2)). In this regard, the codeword can beconsidered two codewords (or two sub-codewords), wherein one codeword(or sub-codeword) corresponds to CR1-MI1 and another corresponds toCR1-MI2. According to this example, for a MIMO system having a pluralityof layers (e.g., layer 1, layer 2, layer 3 and layer 4), one codeword orsub-codeword (e.g., CR1-MI1) can be mapped to a first subset of thelayers (e.g., layers 1 and 2), and another codeword or sub-codeword canbe mapped to a second subset of the layers (e.g., layers 3 and 4). Thus,the modulation index for a codeword (or sub-codeword) that is mapped toa particular layer can be tailored to account for the SNR associatedwith that layer. In this way, the codeword dimensioning requirement formapping of a single MIMO codeword to the lowest channel SNR can beeliminated, thereby improving the CQI value feedback by UE to thenetwork node.

In accordance with various embodiments, the network node can beconfigured to determine the particular codeword configuration and layermapping for downlink transmissions based on a feedback recommendationprovided by the UE to the network node. In this regard, the codewordconfiguration refers the specific codeword or codewords employed (e.g.,distinct code rate/modulation index pairs) and the layer mapping refersto the assignment of the respective codewords to the respective channellayers. This feedback recommendation is represented herein by codewordinformation that is determined by the UE based on channel stateinformation (CSI) that is also determined by the UE. In one or moreembodiments, the codeword information can be provided by the UE to thenetwork node in the uplink control channel along with the CSI. Thecodeword information can include one or more recommended code rates. Foreach code rate, the codeword information can further include the numberof modulation indexes determined for the code rate (which can be one ormore), the actual modulation index or modulation indexes (e.g., when twoor more modulation indexes are determined), and the layer or group oflayers the modulation index applies or the respective modulation indexesapply (e.g., when two or more modulation indexes are determined). Bydoing this, the layer mapping where the modulation indexes are mappedcan be adapted based on channel conditions and the feedback signaloverhead scales accordingly.

The network node 104 can further evaluate the codeword information, theCSI information, and other network condition information (e.g., CSIdetermined at the transmitter side , available network resources,network side scheduling constraints, etc.) to determine and applyoptimized codeword scheduling parameters for the downlink datacommunications. For example, the network node can schedule a UE with afirst codeword represented by a first code rate and a first modulationindex and on a first subset of the channel layers corresponding to thefirst code rate/first modulation index and further schedule the UE witha second code word represented by the first code rate and a secondmodulation index and on a second subset of the channel layerscorresponding to the first code rate/second modulation index. As aresult, each of the modulation indexes for a single code rate can betailored to a specific SNR associated with the particular channel layerto which it is mapped.

In one embodiment, a device is provided that comprises a processor and amemory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising. Theseoperations can comprise determining codeword information in associationwith an establishment of a wireless communication link with a networkdevice of a wireless communication network, wherein the device and thenetwork device are configured to communicate via the communication linkusing a MIMO communication protocol. The determining the codewordinformation comprises determining a code rate, determining modulationindexes for the code rate based on channel state information for channellayers included in the MIMO communication protocol, and determiningmapping information for the code rate that maps the modulation indexesto respective channel layers of the channel layers. The operationsfurther comprise sending the codeword information to the network devicevia a control channel of the wireless communication link. In variousimplementations, the operations can further comprise, based on thesending the codeword information, receiving data transmitted to thedevice by the network device in accordance with a schedulingconfiguration determined based on the codeword information.

In another embodiment, a method is provided that can comprisedetermining, by a device comprising a processor, codeword information inassociation with establishment of a wireless communication link with anetwork device of a wireless communication network, wherein the deviceand the network device are configured to communicate via thecommunication link using a MIMO communication scheme. The determiningthe codeword information comprises determining a code rate anddetermining a number of modulation indexes for the code rate based onsignal-to-noise ratios respectively associated with channel layersincluded in the MIMO communication scheme. The method further comprisessending, by the device, the codeword information to the network devicevia a control channel of the wireless communication link. In someimplementations, the method further comprises, based on the sending thecodeword information, receiving, by the device, data transmitted to thedevice by the network device in accordance with a schedulingconfiguration determined based on the codeword information. In variousimplementations, the determining the number of modulation indexescomprises determining modulation indexes for the code rate, and whereinthe determining the codeword information further comprises determiningmapping information that maps respective modulation indexes of themodulation indexes to different layers of the channel layers based onthe signal-to-noise ratios respectively associated with channel layers.

In yet another embodiment, another method is provided that comprisesreceiving, by a network device comprising a processor, codewordinformation from a device associated with a wireless communication linkestablished between the network device and the device, wherein thedevice and the network device communicate via the communication linkusing a MIMO communication standard, and wherein the codewordinformation identifies, code rates, modulation indexes for each coderate of the code rates, and respective channel layers included in theMIMO communication standard assigned to the modulation indexes. Themethod further comprises scheduling, by the network device, datatransmissions sent from the network device to the device based onscheduling parameters determined based on the codeword information. Insome implementations, the codeword information is received via a controlchannel associated with the wireless communication link in associationwith reception of channel state information provided by the device tothe network device via the control channel. Further, in someimplementations, the method further comprises determining, by thenetwork device, the scheduling parameters based on the codewordinformation and the channel state information.

The subject disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. The following description and the annexed drawings set forthin detail certain illustrative aspects of the subject matter. However,these aspects are indicative of but a few of the various ways in whichthe principles of the subject matter can be employed. Other aspects,advantages, and novel features of the disclosed subject matter willbecome apparent from the following detailed description when consideredin conjunction with the provided drawings. In the following description,for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the subject disclosure. Itmay be evident, however, that the subject disclosure may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order tofacilitate describing the subject disclosure. Further, although thevarious modulation layer mapping techniques are described in associationwith downlink MIMO systems, it should be appreciated that the sameprinciples are applicable for to uplink MIMO systems and side link MIMOsystems.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example wireless communication system100 that facilitates employing modulation layer mapping to improve theperformance of MIMO communication systems in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure. System 100 cancomprise one or more user equipment UEs 102, wherein the respective UEscan include two or more antennas (not shown) thereby supporting MIMOcommunications. The number of antennas provide on a UE 102 can vary(e.g., from two to hundreds or more to accommodate massive MIMOsystems). In various embodiments, system 100 is or includes a wirelesscommunication network serviced by one or more wireless communicationnetwork providers. In the embodiment shown, a UE 102 can becommunicatively coupled to the wireless communication network via anetwork node 104. Thus, in various embodiments, the UE can include anytype of wireless device that communicates with a radio network node 104in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of the UE 102 caninclude but are not limited to, a target device, a device to device(D2D) UE, a machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M)communication, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a mobileterminal, a phone, a smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), alaptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, a wearable device, avirtual reality (VR) device, a heads-up display (HUD) device, a smartcar, and the like.

The non-limiting term network node (or radio network node) is usedherein to refer to any type of network node serving a UE 102 and/orconnected to other network node, network element, or another networknode from which the UE 102 can receive a radio signal. In accordancewith the subject disclosure, the network node 104 can include anysuitable device configured with two or more antennas to support variousMIMO and/or massive MIMO communications. Examples of network nodes(e.g., network node 104) can include but are not limited to: NodeBdevices, base station (BS) devices, access point (AP) devices, and radioaccess network (RAN) devices. The network node 104 can also includemulti-standard radio (MSR) radio node devices, including but not limitedto: an MSR BS, an eNode B, a network controller, a radio networkcontroller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a relay, a donor nodecontrolling relay, a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmissionpoint, a transmission nodes, an RRU, an RRH, nodes in distributedantenna system (DAS), and the like. In the embodiment shown, the UE 102can send and/or receive communication data via a wireless link to thenetwork node 104. The dashed arrow lines from the network node 104 tothe UE 102 represent downlink communications and the solid arrow linesfrom the UE 102 to the network nodes 104 represents and uplinkcommunication.

System 100 can further include one or more communication serviceprovider networks 106 that facilitate providing wireless communicationservices to various UEs, including UE 102, via the network node 104and/or various additional network devices (not shown) included in theone or more communication service provider networks 106. The one or morecommunication service provider networks 106 can include various types ofdisparate networks, including but not limited to: cellular networks,femto networks, picocell networks, microcell networks, internet protocol(IP) networks Wi-Fi service networks, broadband service network,enterprise networks, cloud based networks, and the like. For example, inat least one implementation, system 100 can be or include a large scalewireless communication network that spans various geographic areas.According to this implementation, the one or more communication serviceprovider networks 106 can be or include the wireless communicationnetwork and/or various additional devices and components of the wirelesscommunication network (e.g., additional network devices and cell,additional UEs, network server devices, etc.). The network node 104 canbe connected to the one or more communication service provider networks106 via one or more backhaul links 108. For example, the one or morebackhaul links 108 can include wired link components, such as but notlimited to: like a T1/E1 phone line, a digital subscriber line (DSL)(e.g., either synchronous or asynchronous), an asymmetric DSL (ADSL), anoptical fiber backbone, a coaxial cable, and the like. The one or morebackhaul links 108 can also include wireless link components, such asbut not limited to, line-of-sight (LOS) or non-LOS links which caninclude terrestrial air-interfaces or deep space links (e.g., satellitecommunication links for navigation).

Wireless communication system 100 can employ various cellulartechnologies to facilitate wireless radio communications between devices(e.g., the UE 102 and the network node 104). For example, system 100 canoperate in accordance with a UMTS, long term evolution (LTE), high speedpacket access (HSPA), code division multiple access (CDMA), timedivision multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA),single-carrier code division multiple access (SC-CDMA), single-carrierFDMA (SC-FDMA), OFDM, (DFT)-spread OFDM or SC-FDMA)), FBMC, ZTDFT-s-OFDM, GFDM, UFMC, UW DFT-Spread-OFDM, UW-OFDM, CP-OFDM,resource-block-filtered OFDM, and UFMC. In accordance with the subjectdisclosure, system 100 and the devices (e.g., UE 102 and network node104) can be configured to perform MIMO communication schemes, and moreparticularly, MIMO communication schemes that involve the subjectmodulation layer mapping protocol. In various embodiments, system 100can be configured to provide and employ 5G wireless networking featuresand functionalities.

FIG. 2 presents a signaling diagram illustrating the conventionalmessaging sequence 200 for downlink data transfer in 5G communicationsystems. At 201, the UE 102 and the network node 104 can establish awireless communication link using a suitable attachment procedure inaccordance with the wireless communication standard employed by the UE(e.g., 5G). At 202, the network node 104 sends the UE reference signals.For example, these downlink reference or pilot signals can be cellspecific or UE specific. In particular, the downlink reference signalscan include predefined signals occupying specific resource elementswithin the downlink time-frequency grid. There are several types ofdownlink reference signals that are transmitted in different ways andused for different purposes by the receiving terminal (e.g., the UE).For example, CSI reference signals (CSI-RS) are specifically intended tobe used by terminals to acquire channel-state information (CSI) and beamspecific information (beam RSRP). In 5G CSI-RS is UE specific so it canhave a significantly lower time/frequency density. Demodulationreference signals (DM-RS), also sometimes referred to as UE-specificreference signals, are specifically intended to be used by terminals forchannel estimation for data channel. The label “UE-specific” relates tothe fact that each demodulation reference signal is intended for channelestimation by a single terminal. That specific reference signal is thenonly transmitted within the resource blocks assigned for data trafficchannel transmission to that terminal.

From the reference signals, at 203, the UE can compute the channelestimates and then computes the parameters needed for CSI reporting. TheCSI report consists of for example channel quality indicator (CQI)information, precoding matrix index (PMI) information, rank information(RI), CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI the same as beam indicator), andthe like. For example, in wireless communications, channel stateinformation (CSI) refers to known channel properties of a communicationlink. This information describes how a signal propagates from thetransmitter to the receiver and represents the combined effect of, forexample, scattering, fading, and power decay with distance. The methodis called channel estimation. The CSI makes it possible to adapttransmissions to current channel conditions, which is crucial forachieving reliable communication with high data rates in MIMO systems.CSI needs to be estimated at the receiving device (i.e., the UE 102) andquantized and fed back to the transmitting device (e.g., the networknode 104), although reverse-link estimation is possible in TDD systems.Therefore, the transmitter and receiver can have different CSI. The CSIat the transmitter and the CSI at the receiver are sometimes referred toas CSIT and CSIR, respectively.

At 204, the UE 102 sends the CSI report to the network node 104 via afeedback channel, (also referred to herein as an uplink control channel)either in response to request from the network node 104, or periodicallyin implementations in which the UE is configured to report CSIperiodically. At 205, the network node scheduler uses this CSIinformation in choosing the downlink scheduling parameters for thisparticular UE 102. At 206, the network node 104 sends the schedulingparameters to the UE 102 via a downlink control channel. For example,the downlink control channel, also referred to as the physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH), is a physical channel that carries thescheduling parameters, also referred to as downlink control information(DCI). For example, these downlink scheduling parameters can include theassigned mobile switching center (MSC), power usage requirements,physical resource block (PRB) assignments, and the like. With respect toMIMO communication schemes, the scheduling parameters can also includethe number of MIMO channel layers scheduled, the codewords scheduled forthe respective channel layers (e.g., including the code rates (ortransport block sizes) and the modulation index for each codeword),parameters related to HARQ, sub-band locations and also PMIcorresponding to the respective sub-bands. However, all DCI formats maynot transmit all the DCI information noted above. In general, thecontents of the PDCCH can depend on the transmission mode and DCIformat.

Once the UE has received the downlink scheduling parameters via thePDCCH, at 207, the network node 104 can begin sending the downlink datato the UE via one or more traffic channels (e.g., the one or more MIMOchannel layers) according to the scheduling parameters. At 208, the canreceive and decode the downlink data using the scheduling parameters.

FIG. 3 presents another signaling diagram illustrating the messagingsequence 300 for downlink data transfer in 5G systems employingmodulation layer mapping in accordance with various aspects andembodiments of the subject disclosure. Repetitive description of likeelements employed in respective embodiments is omitted for sake ofbrevity.

In the embodiment shown, the messaging sequence 300 for downlink datatransfer in 5G systems employing modulation layer mapping is the same orsubstantially the same as the conventional messaging sequence 200. Forexample, messaging sequence 300 can include processing steps 301-308which are respectively the same or substantially similar to thecorresponding processing steps 201-208 with the following notabledifferences. At 303, in addition to computing the CSI from the referencesignals, in accordance with modulation layer mapping, the UE 102 canfurther be configured to determine codeword information based on the UEdetermined CSI. As described infra with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10,this codeword information can include one or more recommended code rates(or TB sizes). For each code rate, the codeword information can furtherinclude the number of modulation indexes determined for the code rate(which can be one or more), the actual modulation index or modulationindexes (e.g., when two or more modulation indexes are determined), andthe layer or group of layers the modulation index applies or therespective modulation indexes apply (e.g., when two or more modulationindexes are determined). At 304, in addition to sending the network node104 the CSI information via the uplink control channel, the UE can also(or alternatively) send the codeword information. For example, the UEcan include the codeword information in the CSI report that is sent tothe network node 104.

Further, at 305, the network node 104 can employ the codewordinformation provided by the UE in addition to the CSI information todetermine the downlink transmission scheduling parameters. For example,in some implementations, the network node 104 can apply the samecodeword configuration (e.g., code rate/modulation index) and layermappings recommended by the UE as provided in the codeword information.In other implementations, the UE can provide several (e.g., two or more)different codeword configuration and layer mapping options and thenetwork node 104 can determine and apply one or more of the UErecommended codeword configurations and layer mappings that is mostappropriate based on the channel conditions and/or various otherapplicable factors (e.g., transmitter side CSIT, available networkresources, network side scheduling constraints, etc.). In yet anotherimplementation, the network node 104 can modify a UE recommendedcodeword configuration and layer mapping based on the channel conditionsand/or various other applicable factors (e.g., network resources,network side scheduling constraints, etc.) to determine optimalscheduling parameters including optimal codeword configuration andmodulation index layer mapping.

FIG. 4 presents a block diagram illustrating the transmission sidecomponents/operations 400 of a MIMO communication system with N_(t)transmit antennas in accordance with various aspects and embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. In various embodiments the components/operations400 are provided and/or performed by the network node 104. There areN_(c) transport blocks, where N_(c)≤N_(t). In the embodiment shown, theTBs 401 are passed to a codeword configuration component 402 thatperforms encoding, interleaver and modulator operations to generatecodewords for the respective TBs. For example, the encoder adds paritybits to protect the data. Then the stream is passed through aninterleaver. The interleaver size can be adaptively controlled bypuncturing to increase the data rate. The adaptation is done by theadaptive controller component 407 using the CSI feedback information 406provided by the UE in the uplink control channel. The interleaved datais passed through a modulator (e.g., a symbol mapper). The modulator canalso be adaptively controlled by the adaptive controller component 407based on the CSI information. The resulting information block generatedbased on the encoding, interleaver, and modulator operations consists ofa codeword including a defined code rate and modulation index. In someimplementations, cyclic redundancy cycle (CRC) bits are added to each TBprior to transfer to the encoder.

The codewords are then passed to a layer mapper component 403 that mapsthe codewords to one or more channel layers. The mapped streams are thenpassed to a precoder component 404 that applies the precoders to therespective streams. Then at 405, the resultant encoded streams can bepassed through IFFT blocks and to their respective antennas fortransmission. Please note that IFFT block is necessary for somecommunication systems which implements OFDMA as the access technology(For example 5G, LTE/LTE-A). However, in other systems the IFFT blockmay be different or unnecessary, depending on the multiple accesssystem.

In accordance with multicodeword MIMO wherein the number N of transmitantennas N_(t) and receive antennas N_(r) is two or more, thetheoretical upper bound of codewords is N, wherein each codewordcorresponds to a different transport block (e.g., N_(c)=N_(t)).Accordingly, each TB (TB₁−TB_(Nc)) would be provided to a correspondingencoder (e.g., encoder 1−encoder Nc), and interleaver and modulator(e.g., interleaver/modulator 1−interleaver/modulator Nc), to generatecodewords for each TB (e.g., codeword 1−codeword Nc). For example, withrespect to a 4×4 single user MIMO scenario, each antenna cantheoretically have a different codewords. This means four differentstreams can be transmitted during the same TTI. This is the best casescenario or upper bound, wherein each stream has its own codeword (e.g.,code rate/modulation index). As the SNR increases, the greater thenumber of codewords employed relative to the maximum number of codewordspossible for a given MIMO system (e.g., based on the transmission rank),the better the system performance is in terms of throughput, spectrumefficiency, and the like.

For example, FIG. 5 provides a chart 500 illustrating the spectrumefficiency comparison for 1, 2, 3 and 4 codeword MIMO in accordance withvarious aspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure. Chart 500depicts the effect usage of 1, 2, 3 and 4 codewords has on spectrumefficiency in bits per second/Hertz (bps/Hz) as the SNR, measured indecibels (dB) increases. Chart 500 includes four lines respectivelyidentified as 1-CW, (which corresponds to one codeword), 2-CW (whichcorresponds to two codewords), 3-CW (which corresponds to threecodewords), and 4-CW (which corresponds to four codewords). As shown inchart 500 as the SNR increases above 10.0 dB, the four linesrespectively begin to separate and continue to increasingly separate asthe SNR increases. In particular, at high SNR between about 20.0 dB and30.0 dB, the spectrum performance associated with usage of three andfour codewords is significantly higher relative to that associated withusage of one and two codewords.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, as shown in FIG. 5, the number ofcodewords employed at low SNR has little impact on the systemperformance (e.g., in terms of throughput, spectrum efficiency, etc.).Accordingly, at low SNR, the number of codewords employed for thedownlink transmission can be decreased without impacting the systemperformance. Likewise, at high SNR, the number of codewords employed fordownlink transmission can be increased to improve system performance.This is called link adaptation. In various embodiments, such linkadaptation can be controlled by the adaptive controller component 407.For example, based on reception of CSI feedback information 406indicating that the SNR conditions are low, the adaptive controllercomponent 407 can direct the codeword configuration component 402 todecrease the modulation and use a more robust code rate and/or fewercodewords. Similarly, based on reception of CSI feedback information 406indicating that the SNR conditions are good, the adaptive controllercomponent 407 can direct the codeword configuration component 402 toincrease the modulation and use a higher code rate and/or morecodewords. In this regard, the SNR values that respectively correspondto different levels of channel conditions on a measure of poor, to goodto excellent or the like can be predefined. Thus, in the best casescenario, in order to achieve the highest system performance (e.g., theupper bound on the channel capacity), at high SNR and/or SINR channelconditions, the MIMO system should operate at full capacity with adifferent codeword assigned to each available layer.

However, with conventional multicodeword MIMO, the feedback channeloverhead in both the downlink and uplink control channels isproportional to the transmission rank. For example, if the UE reportedtransmission rank is equal to four, with conventional multicodewordMIMO, the CSI feedback information 406 provided by the UE to the networknode 104 will need to include sufficient information to supportgeneration of four separate codewords that are each tailored to thechannel conditions associated with each channel layer they will betransmitted on. For instance, the CSI feedback information 406 wouldneed to include four channel quality indicators (CQIs), four encodercode rates, four modulation, etc. So, for example, if each modulationrequires four bits, the UE would need to send 16 bits for the modulationinformation alone each time it reports CSI feedback to the network node104. Similarly, with respect to the downlink control channel, whenreporting the scheduling parameters to the UE (e.g., step 206 inmessaging sequence 200), with conventional multicodeword MIMO, thenetwork node would need to report to the UE, four transport block sizes,four modulation indexes, four hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)process numbers, four redundancy versions, etc. Accordingly, withconventional multicodeword capable MIMO systems (e.g., meaning any MIMOsystem with a transmission rank of two or greater), there is a trade-offbetween system performance achieved through maximizing the number ofcodewords transmitted and reducing overhead cost.

Codeword dimensioning is one technique employed in current LTEmulticodeword capable MIMO systems to reduce such overhead costassociated with the uplink and downlink feedback. With codeworddimensioning, the available channel layers are bundled to support amaximum two codewords. In this regard, up to two TBs can be transmittedper transmission time interval (TTI), where each TB corresponds to onecodeword. Each codeword is separately coded using turbo coding and thecoded bits from each codeword are scrambled separately. Thecomplex-valued modulation symbols for each of the codewords to betransmitted are mapped onto one or multiple layers.

FIG. 6 provides a chart 600 describing the codeword dimensioning mappingrequirements for a four-rank capable MIMO system. As shown in chart 600,the number of codewords allowed is one or two. With respect to usage ofone codeword, the codeword mapping includes two options. In the firstoption, the codeword is mapped to a single layer and the remaining threeantennas are inactive. In the second option, the codeword is mapped totwo layers and the codeword symbols are split between the two layers andthe remaining two antennas are inactive. With respect to usage of twocodewords, the codeword mapping includes three options. In the firstoption, each code word is mapped to its own layer and the remaining twoantennas are inactive. In the second option, the first codeword ismapped to a first layer while the second codewords is split between twoother layers. The single remaining antenna is inactive. In the thirdoption, the first codeword is split between two layers and the secondcodeword is split between the other two layers.

FIG. 7 illustrates example transmission block to layer mappings inaccordance with conventional codeword dimensioning. Repetitivedescription of like elements employed in respective embodiments isomitted for sake of brevity.

With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, diagram 701 illustrates an examplescenario of application of the second option for one codeword MIMO withcodeword dimensioning. As shown in diagram 701, with this option, thecodeword configuration component 402 generates a single codeword for asingle TB, codeword 1. The single codeword consists of a defined coderate and modulation index, identified in FIG. 7 as CR1-MI1. The singlecodeword is split and mapped to two layers of the possible four (e.g.,layers 2 and 4 in the diagram 701). Diagram 702 illustrates an examplescenario of application of option the third option for two codeword MIMOwith codeword dimensioning. As shown in diagram 702, with this option,the codeword configuration component 402 generates two codewords, onefor each TB1 and another for TB2. Each of the codewords 1 and 2 consistof a defined code rate and modulation index. For example, codeword 1includes a first code rate and a first modulation index, identified inFIG. 7 as CR1-MI1. Likewise, codeword 2 includes a second code rate anda second modulation index, identified in FIG. 7 as CR2-MI2. The firstcodeword is split and mapped to layers 1 and 2 and the second codewordis split and mapped to layers 3 and 4. Note that the main principlebehind the LTE codeword dimensioning is that whenever the transmissionrank is more than two, the TB size is increased to accommodate a greaternumber of bits. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, when one codeword isused, the TB1 size is larger than the size of respective TBs 1 and 2when split into two codewords.

As exemplified in FIGS. 6 and 7, with codeword dimensioning, although aMIMO system may support more than two layers, the number of transportblocks and corresponding codewords is still limited to two. As a result,the uplink and downlink feedback can be reduced to include only theinformation necessary to support one or two codewords. For example, inthe case of a 4×4 MIMO transmission scheme, when two codewords are usedas opposed to four, the feedback overhead can be reduced 50%. Forinstance, in furtherance to the example above wherein UE reportingmodulations for each layer required four bits and thus sixteen bitstotal, with codeword dimensioning, when two codewords are used asopposed to four, the UE 102 would only need to report eight bits worthof modulation information. However, the problem with codeworddimensioning however is that by using one or two codewords, although thefeedback signaling overhead is reduced, the link throughput is impactedas MIMO layers with different channel qualities are coupled as codeword.For example, consider a scenario where a single codeword is used inassociation with a MIMO transmission protocol rank of eight and thuseight corresponding layers. In accordance with a one codeword maximumcodeword dimensioning protocol, the UE 102 is configured report thechannel quality corresponding to the layer which has the lowest SNR.Hence even if the other seven channel layers have high SNRs, thefeedback requirements applied by the one codeword maximum codeworddimensioning protocol prevents the network node 104 from schedulingcodewords with higher modulation indexes and code rates (or transportblock sizes) to the corresponding higher SNR channel layers. Thisresults in significant loss of link throughput, especially as the numberof available channel layers increases in higher rank MIMO systems. Thus,when MIMO codeword dimensioning is applied, system performance isdegraded at the cost of reduced overhead.

The subject modulation layer mapping techniques provide an alternativeand improved solution to codeword dimensioning that provides the linkthroughput gains attributed to usage of additional codewords relative tothe maximum two codewords allowed with codeword dimensioning, while atthe same time reducing the signaling feedback overhead traditionallyassociated with an increasing the number of codewords. The mainprinciple behind modulation layer mapping is that instead of using onemodulation per each codeword, the modulation within a codeword can bedifferent for each channel layer or for groups or subsets of channellayers. For example, with respect to a 4×4 MIMO system that uses asingle codeword defined by a single code rate (or TB size) andmodulation index, the codeword can be defined by a single code rate (orTB size) and two or more modulation indexes. In this regard, eachdistinct code rate/modulation index pair can be considered separatecodewords or sub-codewords. Further, each distinct code rate/modulationindex pair can be determined based on the particular SNR associated witheach different channel layer to which it is applied. Thus, themodulation index for a codeword (or sub-codeword) that is mapped to aparticular layer can be tailored to account for the SNR associated withthat layer. In this way, the codeword dimensioning requirement formapping of a single MIMO codeword to the lowest channel SNR can beeliminated, thereby improving the CQI value feedback by UE to thenetwork node.

FIG. 8 illustrates example transmission block to layer mappings inaccordance with modulation layer mapping in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure. Repetitivedescription of like elements employed in respective embodiment isomitted for sake of brevity.

Diagram 801 illustrates an example scenario wherein the codewordconfiguration for a single TB includes two separate codewords (orsub-codewords), referred to as codeword 1A and codeword 1B. Codewords 1Aand 1B respectively have the same code rate, CR1. However, codewords 1Aand 1B have different modulation indexes, MI1 and MI2. For example, MI1can include a higher modulation index than MI2. Further codewords 1A canbe split and mapped to two layer, layers 1 and 2, and codeword 1B can besplit and mapped to the other two layers, layer 3 and 4. In particular,the layer mapper component 403 can be configured to map codeword A1 withthe higher modulation index M1 to channels having relatively high SNRand map codeword 1B with the lower modulation index M1 to channelshaving relatively lower SNR. According to the example scenario depictedin diagram 801, layers 1 and 2 can respectively be associated withhigher SNR than layers 3 and 4.

Diagram 802 illustrates another example scenario wherein the codewordconfiguration for a single TB includes two separate codewords (orsub-codewords), and wherein two TBs are used, TB1 and TB2. In accordancewith this scenario, the codeword configuration component 402 cangenerate four total codewords (or sub-codewords), two for TB1 and twofor TB2. In this regard, the codewords for TB1 are referred to ascodeword 1A and codeword 1B. Codewords 1A and 1B respectively have thesame code rate, CR1. However, codewords 1A and 1B have differentmodulation indexes, MI1 and MI2. Likewise, the codewords for TB2 caninclude codeword 2A and codeword 2B. Codewords 2A and 2B respectivelyhave the same code rate, CR2, wherein CR1 is different (e.g., in size)than CR2. However, codewords 2A and 2B have different modulationindexes, MI1 and MI2, respectively. Further, because four codewords aregenerated, each codeword can be mapped to a single layer. For example,in the embodiment shown, codeword 1A is mapped to layer 1, codeword 1Bis mapped to layer 2, codeword 2A is mapped to layer 3 and codeword 2Bis mapped to layer 4. The particular layer to which each codeword ismapped can be based on the code rate/modulation index pair of thecodeword, (or vice versa), such that the layers associated with higherSNR conditions can carry codewords with higher code rates and modulationindexes.

It should be appreciated that the codeword configuration with respect tothe particular modulation index applied to the respective codewords 1A,1B, 2A, and 2C is merely exemplary. For example, in some implementation,each of the codewords can have entirely different modulation indexes(e.g., MI1, MI2, MI3 and MI4). In another embodiment, three modulationindexes can be used. For example, codeword 1A can use MI1, codeword 1Bcan use MI2, codeword 2A can use MI1 and codeword 2B can use MI3.

For example, MI1 can include a higher modulation index than MI2. Furthercodewords 1A can be split and mapped to two layer, layers 1 and 2, andcodeword 1B can be split and mapped to the other two layers, layer 3 and4. In particular, the layer mapper component 403 can be configured tomap codeword A1 with the higher modulation index M1 to channels havingrelatively high SNR and map codeword 1B with the lower modulation indexM1 to channels having relatively lower SNR. According to the examplescenario depicted in diagram 801, layers 1 and 2 can respectively beassociated with higher SNR than layers 3 and 4.

With reface to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, in accordance with various embodiments,in association with establishment of a wireless communication link withthe network node, the UE 102 can be configured to determine codewordinformation based on the CSI. As described infra with reference to FIGS.9 and 10, this codeword information can include one or more recommendedcode rates. For each code rate, the codeword information can furtherinclude the number of modulation indexes determined for the code rate(which can be one or more), the actual modulation index or modulationindexes (e.g., when two or more modulation indexes are determined), andthe layer or group of layers the modulation index applies or therespective modulation indexes apply (e.g., when two or more modulationindexes are determined). The UE 102 can further be configured to providethe codeword information to the network node 104, along with the CSI.

The network node 104 can further evaluate the codeword information, theCSI information, and other network condition information (e.g., CSIdetermined at the transmitter side , available network resources,network side scheduling constraints, etc.) to determine and apply thecodeword scheduling parameters for the downlink data communications. Forexample, the network node 104 can be configured to determine theparticular codeword configuration (e.g., code rate/modulation index) forapplication by the codeword configuration component 402, and the layermapping for application by the layer mapper component 403, based on thecodeword information, the CSI feedback information 406, and othernetwork condition information (e.g., CSI determined at the transmitterside , available network resources, network side scheduling constraints,etc.). The adaptive controller component 407 can further direct thecodeword configuration component 402 and the layer mapper component 403to perform codeword scheduling parameters. By doing this, the layermapping where the modulation indexes are mapped can be adapted based onchannel conditions and the feedback signal overhead scales accordingly.The adaptive controller component 407 can further direct the codewordconfiguration component 402 and the layer mapper component 403 todynamically change the codeword configuration and layer mapping toaccount for changes in channel and network conditions.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example UE (e.g., UE 102) that facilitatesmodulation layer mapping in accordance with various aspects andembodiments of the subject disclosure. Repetitive description of likeelements employed in respective embodiment is omitted for sake ofbrevity.

In various embodiments, the UE 102 can include communication component902, CSI component 904, codeword information component 906, and aplurality of antennas 916. The UE 102 can include memory 920 to storecomputer executable components and instructions of the UE. For example,although depicted outside of the memory 920, these computer executablecomponents and instructions can include the communication component 902and/or software instructions associated with the communication component902, the CSI component 904, and the codeword information component 906.The UE 102 can also include a processor 918 to facilitate operation ofthe instructions (e.g., the computer executable components andinstructions) by the UE 102. Examples of said processor 918 and memory920, as well as other suitable computer or computing-based elements thatcan be employed by the UE 102, can be found with reference to FIG. 16.The UE can further include a device bus 914 that couples the variouscomponents of the UE 102 including, but not limited to, thecommunication component 902, the CSI component 904, the codewordinformation component 906, the plurality of antennas 916, the processor918 and the memory 920.

The communication component 902 can facilitate wireless communicationbetween the UE 102 and other devices, such as between the UE 102 and thenetwork node 104, the UE 102 and other UEs, the UE and one or morenetwork devices, and the like. The communication component 902 can be orinclude hardware (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), one or moredecoders, etc.), software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes,software in execution) or a combination of hardware and software thatfacilitates MIMO communication protocols, including at least the subjectmodulation layer mapping protocol. The communication component 902 canbe communicatively coupled to the plurality of antennas 916 of the UE102. The number of the antennas 916 can vary. Each of the antennas canprovide for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals. Thecommunication component 902 can include hardware and/or software tofacilitates processing RF signals transmitted to the UE 102 from anotherdevice (e.g., decoding, de-mapping, de-interleaving, removinginterference, etc.). The communication component 902 can also includehardware and/or software that facilitates transmitting RF data signalsto other devices (e.g., encoding).

The CSI component 904 can be configured to determine CSI based onreference or pilot signals received from the network node 104 (e.g.,CSI-RS, DM-RS, etc.). This CSI can include one or more parametersrelated to but not limited to, CQI information, PMI information, RIinformation, MCS information, PMI information, beamforming weights,delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, and averagedelay, and the like. In various embodiments, based on the referencesignals, the CSI component 904 can further determine the SNR and/or SINRassociated with the respective channel layers of a MIMO communicationprotocol employed by the UE. In particular, the CSI component 904 candetermine the SNR and/or SINR associated with each channel layer.

The codeword information component 906 can be configured to determinethe codeword information based on the CSI information. In variousembodiments, once determined, the communication component 902 can beconfigured to transmit the codeword information (e.g., codewordinformation provided in chart 1000) to the network node 104 inassociation with the CSI report sent via the uplink control channel.

FIG. 10 provides a chart 1006 demonstrating example codeword informationcapable of being determined by the codeword information component 906 inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure. Repetitive description of like elements employed inrespective embodiments is omitted for sake of brevity.

As shown in chart 1000, the codeword information can identify one ormore code rates, the number of modulations determined for each coderate, the specific modulation indexes (e.g., the modulation values)determined, and the modulation index to layer mapping, that indicateswhich layer the respective modulation indexes are valid or otherwiseassigned to. In the example shown in chart 1000, the codewordinformation identifies two code rates (CR1 and CR2), indicates that eachcode rate is associated with two modulations, and provides therespective modulation indexes for each code rate, MI1 and MI2). Thecodeword information further identifies the recommended modulation indexmapping for CR1 is MI1 to layers 1 and 2 (e.g., MI1-L1 and MI1-L2), andthe MI2 to layer 3 and 4 (e.g., MI2-L3 and MI2-L4). Likewise, thecodeword information further identifies the recommended modulation indexmapping for CR2 is MI1 to layers 1 and 3 (e.g., MI1-L1 and MI1-L3), andthe MI2 to layer 2 and 4 (e.g., MI2-L2 and MI2-L4). It should beappreciated that the code rates CR1 and CR2 can represent suitable coderate (or RB sizes) values and that the modulation indexes MI1 and MI2can represent suitable modulation index values. Further, although CR1and CR2 are each associated with MI1 and MI2, it should be appreciatedthat the modulation indexes determined for different code rates canvary. For example, CR2 can be associated with entirely differentmodulation indexes (e.g., M3 and M4 for example).

Wither reference back to FIG. 9, the codeword information component 906can include code rate component 908, modulation component 910 and layermapping component 912. In various embodiments, the code rate component908 can be configured to determine the code rates for forming codewordsrecommended by the UE. In various embodiments, the number of code ratesdetermined by the code rate component 908 can be based at least in parton the transmission rank of the UE (e.g., the RI value), and/or the CSI.For example, in some implementations, the code rate component 908 can beconfigured to determine a number of code rates that is equal to itscurrent transmission rank. In other implementations, the code ratecomponent 908 can be configured to determine the number of code rates asa fixed percentage or number relative to its transmission rank (e.g., ifRI is two determine two code rates, if RI is three determine two coderates, if RI is four determine three code rates, if RI is eightdetermine five code rates, etc.). According to this implementation, thecode rate component 908 can determine the appropriate number of coderates to determine based on predefined information (e.g., stored inmemory 920 or otherwise accessible to the code rate component 908) thatdefines the number of code rates to determine for a particulartransmission rank. In another implementation, the code rate component908 can be configured to determine a fixed number of code rates (e.g.,one or two) regardless of its transmission rank. In other embodiments,the code rate component 908 can also determine the number of code ratesbased on various other CSI parameters, such as but not limited to, therespective SNR and/or SINR values associated with the respective channellayers. For example, according to these embodiments, the code ratecomponent 908 can be configured to determine a greater number of coderates as the SNR and/or SINR values associated with the respectivechannels increase. In this regard, the code rate component 908 candetermine the number of code rates based on both its transmission rank(which indicates the number of available channel layers) and therespective SNR and/or SINRs associated with each of the channel layer.

The code rate component 908 can further determine the values for therespective code rates. In some implementations, the specific values forthe code rates (or code rate) can be predefined based on the number ofcode rates determined and/or the transmission rank of the UE. In otherimplementations, the code rate component 908 can be configured todetermine the values of the code rates (or code rate), based on thenumber of code rates determined, the transmission rank, and therespective SNR and/or SINR values associated with the respectivechannels. For example, the code rate component 908 can be configured todetermine higher code rates for channels associated with high SNR and/orSINR values and lower code rates for channels associated with low SNRand/or SINR values.

The modulation component 910 can be configured to determine one or moremodulation indexes for each code rate determined by the code ratecomponent 908. The number of modulation indexes per code rate determinedby the modulation component 910 can vary based on the channel conditions(e.g., SNR and/or SINR associated with the respective channels), thenumber of channels (or the transmission rank), the number of code rates,and/or the values of the code rates. In some implementations, the numberof modulation indexes can be capped at one or two regardless of thetransmission rank. In other implementations, the number of modulationindexes can increase beyond two as the transmission rank increases,wherein the number of modulation indexes is a defined percentage ornumber relative to the transmission rank. In this regard, the number ofmodulation indexes can be less than or equal to the transmission rank.

In various embodiments, because the CSI component 904 can estimate thechannel conditions from the CSI-RS, it can estimate the SNR and/or SINReach layer. The modulation component 910 can further determine thenumber of modulation indexes for a given code rate and the specificvalues for the modulation indexes based on the SNR and/or SINRassociated with each channel. For example, in one implementation, thecodeword information component 906 can be configured to evaluate the SNRand/or SINRs associated with each available channel and identify thelowest or minimum SNR and/or SINR value (and its associated channel)among the respective SNR and/or SINR values associated with therespective channels. The code rate component 908 and the modulationcomponent 910 can further respectively determine a baseline code rateand modulation index based on the minimum SNR and/or SINR. The code ratecomponent 908 and the modulation component 910 can respectively thendetermine one or more additional code rates and modulation indexes forthe remaining layers (other than the channel layer associated with theminimum SNR/SINR) based this base line code rate and modulation index.For example, the modulation component 910 can further identify one ormore of the remaining channel layer associated with a relatively higherSNR and/or SINR and determine a different (higher) modulation index forthese layers based on their higher SNR and/or SINR condition.

By determining the modulation indexes based on the particular SNR and/orSINR associated with the different layers, the modulation component 910can tailor the modulation indexes to the specific conditions associatedwith each channel. In some implementations, depending on the channelconditions, the modulation component 910 can determine a differentmodulation index for each layer. In other implementations, themodulation component 910 can group two or more layer associated withsame or similar SNR and/or SINR values. With these implementations, themodulation component 910 can determine one modulation index for thegroup of layers. Accordingly, in some implementations in which all ofthe layers have same or similar SNR and/or SINR values, the modulationcomponent 910 can determine a single modulation index for all thelayers. Thus, if the SNR and/or SINRs are the same or substantially thesame for all the layers for a given code rate, then the modulationcomponent choose only one modulation and the layers where thismodulation is applicable.

Accordingly, the amount of codeword information provided by the UE tothe network node will scale based on the channel conditions. Forexample, in some implementations, the UE may only report and recommend asingle code rate and modulation index for all layers (i.e., a singlecodeword for all layers). In other implementations, the UE may report asingle code rate, two modulation indexes and the respective layers eachof the two modulation indexes are assigned. In yet anotherimplementation, the UE may report several different code rates, severaldifferent modulation indexes for each code rate, and the correspondinglayer mapping information for the different code rate/modulation indexpairs.

The layer mapping component 912 can be configured to map each modulationindex determined by the modulation component 910 to a specific channel.In this regard, because the modulation component 910 determines themodulation indexes based on the corresponding layer SNR/SINRs, themodulation component 910 can inform the layer mapping component 912which modulation indexes are associated with which SNRs/SINRs. The layermapping component 912 can further determine and apply the modulationindexes to the corresponding layers having those SNRs and/or SINRvalues. In other implementations, the modulation component 910 cansimply information the layer mapping component 912 which layer or groupof layers a particular modulation index was determined for.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example network node (e.g., network node 104)that facilitates modulation layer mapping in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments of the subject disclosure. Repetitivedescription of like elements employed in respective embodiments isomitted for sake of brevity.

In various embodiments, the network node 104 can include schedulingcomponent 1102, a plurality of antennas 1108, communication component1110, and application component 1118. The network node 104 can includememory 1114 to store computer executable components and instructions.For example, although depicted outside of the memory 1114, the computerexecutable components stored by the memory 1114 can include softwareinstructions associated with the communication component 1110, thescheduling component 1102, and the application component 1118. Thenetwork node 104 can also include a processor 1112 to facilitateoperation of the instructions (e.g., the computer executable componentsand instructions) by the network node 104. Examples of said processor1112 and memory 1114 as well as other suitable computer orcomputing-based elements that can be employed by the network node 104,can be found with reference to FIG. 16. The network node 104 can furtherinclude a device bus 1116 that couples the various components of thenetwork node 104 including, but not limited to, the communicationcomponent 1110, the scheduling component 1102, the plurality of antennas1108, the processor 1112 and the memory 1114.

The communication component 1110 can facilitate wireless communicationbetween the network node 104 and other devices, such UEs (e.g., UE 102).In this regard, the communication component 1110 can provide same orsimilar feature and functionalities as the communication component 902.The communication component 1110 can also facilitate wired and wirelesscommunication between the network node 104 and one or more networkdevices.

The scheduling component 1102 can be configured to determine downlinkcommunication scheduling parameters for a particular UE based on the CSIand codeword information determined and provided by the UE 102. Thesescheduling parameters can include but are not limited to: the assignedMSC, power usage requirements, PRB assignments, the number of channellayers scheduled, the codewords scheduled for the respective channellayers (e.g., including the code rates (or transport block sizes) andthe modulation index for each codeword), parameters related to HARQ,sub-band locations, PMIs corresponding to the respective sub-bands, andthe like. The communication component 1110 can further be configured toprovide the UE 102 with the scheduling parameters via the downlinkcontrol channel prior to performing the downlink data transmissions. TheUE communication component (e.g., communication component 902) canfurther subsequently employ the scheduling parameters to decode thereceived downlink data transmissions.

In the embodiment shown, the scheduling component 1102 can includecodeword configuration and layer mapping parameters component 1104 andother scheduling parameters component 1106. In one implementation, thecodeword configuration and layer mapping parameters component 1104 canbe particularly configured to determine the codeword configuration andlayer mapping parameters for the downlink transmission, and the otherscheduling parameters component 1106 can be configured to determine theother scheduling parameters (e.g., MSC, power usage requirements, PRBassignments, HARQ, sub-band locations, PMIs, etc.). The codewordconfiguration and layer mapping parameters include the number ofcodewords used, the particular code rate/modulation index for each codeword, and the particular layers to which each codeword is assigned. Inthis regard, unlike the restrictions imparted by codeword dimensioning,in some implementation, the codeword configuration and layer mappingparameters component 1104 can determine whether to use one, two or morecodewords based on the CSI feedback information, the codewordinformation recommended by the UE and other network conditions (e.g.,transmitter side CSIT, available network resources, network sidescheduling constraints, etc.). Further, based on the CSI feedbackinformation, the codeword information and/or other network conditions,the codeword configuration and layer mapping parameters component 1104can determine whether to use one, two or more modulation indexes for aparticular code rate and further determine which layer or group oflayers to apply each distinct code rate/modulation index pair.

In some implementations, the network node 104 can apply the samecodeword configuration (e.g., code rate/modulation index) and layermappings recommended by the UE as provided in the codeword information.In other implementations, the UE can provide several (e.g., two or more)different codeword configuration and layer mapping options and thenetwork node 104 can determine and apply one or more of the UErecommended codeword configurations and layer mappings that is mostappropriate based on the channel conditions and/or various otherapplicable factors (e.g., transmitter side CSIT, available networkresources, network side scheduling constraints, etc.). In yet anotherimplementation, the network node 104 can modify a UE recommendedcodeword configuration and layer mapping based on the channel conditionsand/or various other applicable factors (e.g., network resources,network side scheduling constraints, etc.) to determine optimalscheduling parameters including optimal codeword configuration andmodulation index layer mapping.

Once the scheduling component 1102 has determined the final downlinkscheduling parameters, the scheduling component 1102 can direct theapplication component 1118 to apply the scheduling parameters inassociation with encoding TBs and carrying out the downlink datatransmissions to the UE. For example, the application component 1118 caninclude suitable hardware and/or software (e.g., the codewordconfiguration component 402, the layer mapper component 403, theadaptive controller component 407, the precoder component 404, and thelike) process and TBs in accordance with the determined schedulingparameters and carry out the MIMO transmission protocol.

In view of the example system(s) described above, example method(s) thatcan be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject matter canbe better appreciated with reference to flowcharts in FIGS. 12-14. Forpurposes of simplicity of explanation, example methods disclosed hereinare presented and described as a series of acts; however, it is to beunderstood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of acts, as some acts may occur in different ordersand/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and describedherein. For example, one or more example methods disclosed herein couldalternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states orevents, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, interaction diagram(s) mayrepresent methods in accordance with the disclosed subject matter whendisparate entities enact disparate portions of the methods. Furthermore,not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a describedexample method in accordance with the subject specification. Furtheryet, two or more of the disclosed example methods can be implemented incombination with each other, to accomplish one or more aspects hereindescribed. It should be further appreciated that the example methodsdisclosed throughout the subject specification are capable of beingstored on an article of manufacture (e.g., a computer-readable medium)to allow transporting and transferring such methods to computers forexecution, and thus implementation, by a processor or for storage in amemory.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method 1200 that employs modulation layermapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systems inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure. Repetitive description of like elements employed inrespective embodiments is omitted for sake of brevity.

At 1202, a network device comprising a processor (e.g., UE 102, and thelike), determines codeword information in association with establishmentof a wireless communication link with a network device (e.g., networknode 104) of a wireless communication network (e.g., system 100),wherein the device and the network device are configured to communicatevia the communication link using a MIIMO communication scheme (e.g.,multicodeword MIMO). In accordance with method 1200, the process ofdetermining the codeword information comprises determining a code rateat 1204 (e.g., via code rate component 908), and at 1206 determining anumber of modulation indexes for the code rate based on signal-to-noiseratios respectively associated with channel layers included in the MIMOcommunication scheme (e.g., via modulation component 910). The methodfurther comprises, at 1208, sending, by the device, the codewordinformation to the network device via a control channel of the wirelesscommunication link (e.g., via communication component 902).

FIG. 13 illustrates another example method 1300 that employs modulationlayer mapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systemsin accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure. Repetitive description of like elements employed inrespective embodiments is omitted for sake of brevity.

At 1302, a network device comprising a processor (e.g., UE 102, and thelike), determines codeword information in association with establishmentof a wireless communication link with a network device (e.g., networknode 104) of a wireless communication network (e.g., system100), whereinthe device and the network device are configured to communicate via thecommunication link using a MIIMO communication protocol (e.g.,multicodeword MIMO). In accordance with method 1200, the process ofdetermining the codeword information comprises determining a code rateat 1304 (e.g., via code rate component 908), determining modulationindexes for the code rate based on CSI for channel layers included inthe MIMO protocol at 1306 (e.g., via modulation component 910), and at1308, determining mapping information for the code rate that mapsrespective modulation indexes of the modulation indexes to respectivechannel layers of the channel layers (e.g., via layer mappingcomponent). The method further comprises, at 1310, sending, by thedevice, the codeword information to the network device via a controlchannel of the wireless communication link (e.g., via communicationcomponent 902). Further, at 1312, based on the sending the codewordinformation, receiving (e.g., via the communication component 902) datatransmitted to the device by the network device in accordance with ascheduling configuration determined based on the codeword information.

FIG. 14 illustrates another example method 1400 that employs modulationlayer mapping to improve the performance of MIMO communication systemsin accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the subjectdisclosure. Repetitive description of like elements employed inrespective embodiments is omitted for sake of brevity.

At 1402, the method comprises, receiving, by a network device comprisinga processor (e.g., network node 104), codeword information from a device(e.g., UE 102) associated with a wireless communication link establishedbetween the network device and the device, wherein the device and thenetwork device communicate via the communication link using a MIMOcommunication standard, and wherein the codeword information identifies,code rates, modulation indexes for each code rate of the code rates, andrespective channel layers included in the MIMO communication standardassigned to the modulation indexes. At 1404, the method furthercomprises scheduling, by the network device, data transmissions sentfrom the network device to the device based on scheduling parametersdetermined based on the codeword information (e.g., via the schedulingcomponent 1102).

FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of a computing environment 1500with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The system 1500comprises one or more remote component(s) 1510. The remote component(s)1510 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes,computing devices). In some embodiments, remote component(s) 1510 cancomprise servers, personal servers, wireless telecommunication networkdevices, RAN device(s), etc. As an example, remote component(s) 1510 canbe network node 104, one or more devices included in the communicationservice provider networks 106, and the like. The system 1500 alsocomprises one or more local component(s) 1520. The local component(s)1520 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes,computing devices). In some embodiments, local component(s) 1520 cancomprise, for example, a UE 102, one or more components of the UE 102,and the like etc.

One possible communication between a remote component(s) 1510 and alocal component(s) 1520 can be in the form of a data packet adapted tobe transmitted between two or more computer processes. Another possiblecommunication between a remote component(s) 1510 and a localcomponent(s) 1520 can be in the form of circuit-switched data adapted tobe transmitted between two or more computer processes in radio timeslots. The system 1500 comprises a communication framework 1540 that canbe employed to facilitate communications between the remote component(s)1510 and the local component(s) 1520, and can comprise an air interface,e.g., Uu interface of a UMTS network, via an LTE network, etc. Remotecomponent(s) 1510 can be operably connected to one or more remote datastore(s) 1550, such as a hard drive, solid state drive, SIM card, devicememory, etc., that can be employed to store information on the remotecomponent(s) 1510 side of communication framework 1540. Similarly, localcomponent(s) 1520 can be operably connected to one or more local datastore(s) 1530, that can be employed to store information on the localcomponent(s) 1520 side of communication framework 1540.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 16, and the following discussion, are intended toprovide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in whichthe various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented.While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize thatthe disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination withother program modules. Generally, program modules comprise routines,programs, components, data structures, etc. that performs particulartasks and/or implement particular abstract data types.

In the subject specification, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “datastore,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any otherinformation storage component relevant to operation and functionality ofa component, refer to “memory components,” or entities embodied in a“memory” or components comprising the memory. It is noted that thememory components described herein can be either volatile memory ornonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatilememory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory 1620(see below), non-volatile memory 1622 (see below), disk storage 1624(see below), and memory storage 1646 (see below). Further, nonvolatilememory can be included in read only memory, programmable read onlymemory, electrically programmable read only memory, electricallyerasable read only memory, or flash memory. Volatile memory can compriserandom access memory, which acts as external cache memory. By way ofillustration and not limitation, random access memory is available inmany forms such as synchronous random access memory , dynamic randomaccess memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double datarate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronousdynamic random access memory, Synchlink dynamic random access memory,and direct Rambus random access memory. Additionally, the disclosedmemory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise,without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable typesof memory.

Moreover, it is noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practicedwith other computer system configurations, comprising single-processoror multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframecomputers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices(e.g., personal digital assistant, phone, watch, tablet computers,notebook computers, . . . ), microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer or industrial electronics, and the like. The illustratedaspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network; however, some if not all aspects ofthe subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In adistributed computing environment, program modules can be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of a computing system 1600 operableto execute the disclosed systems and methods in accordance with anembodiment. Computer 1612, which can be, for example, a UE (e.g., UE102), a network node (e.g., network node 104), or the like, can comprisea processing unit 1614, a system memory 1616, and a system bus 1618.System bus 1618 couples system components comprising, but not limitedto, system memory 1616 to processing unit 1614. Processing unit 1614 canbe any of various available processors. Dual microprocessors and othermultiprocessor architectures also can be employed as processing unit1614.

System bus 1618 can be any of several types of bus structure(s)comprising a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus or anexternal bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available busarchitectures comprising, but not limited to, industrial standardarchitecture, micro-channel architecture, extended industrial standardarchitecture, intelligent drive electronics, video electronics standardsassociation local bus, peripheral component interconnect, card bus,universal serial bus, advanced graphics port, personal computer memorycard international association bus, Firewire (Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers 16164), and small computer systems interface.

System memory 1616 can comprise volatile memory 1620 and nonvolatilememory 1622. A basic input/output system, containing routines totransfer information between elements within computer 1612, such asduring start-up, can be stored in nonvolatile memory 1622. By way ofillustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory 1622 can compriseread only memory, programmable read only memory, electricallyprogrammable read only memory, electrically erasable read only memory,or flash memory. Volatile memory 1620 comprises read only memory, whichacts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and notlimitation, read only memory is available in many forms such assynchronous random access memory, dynamic read only memory, synchronousdynamic read only memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic read onlymemory, enhanced synchronous dynamic read only memory, Synchlink dynamicread only memory, Rambus direct read only memory, direct Rambus dynamicread only memory, and Rambus dynamic read only memory.

Computer 1612 can also comprise removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. FIG. 16 illustrates, forexample, disk storage 1624. Disk storage 1624 comprises, but is notlimited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tapedrive, flash memory card, or memory stick. In addition, disk storage1624 can comprise storage media separately or in combination with otherstorage media comprising, but not limited to, an optical disk drive suchas a compact disk read only memory device, compact disk recordabledrive, compact disk rewritable drive or a digital versatile disk readonly memory. To facilitate connection of the disk storage devices 1624to system bus 1618, a removable or non-removable interface is typicallyused, such as interface 1626.

Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which cancomprise computer-readable storage media or communications media, whichtwo terms are used herein differently from one another as follows.

Computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media thatcan be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implementedin connection with any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structureddata, or unstructured data. Computer-readable storage media cancomprise, but are not limited to, read only memory, programmable readonly memory, electrically programmable read only memory, electricallyerasable read only memory, flash memory or other memory technology,compact disk read only memory, digital versatile disk or other opticaldisk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, or other tangible media which can beused to store desired information. In this regard, the term “tangible”herein as may be applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media,is to be understood to exclude only propagating intangible signals perse as a modifier and does not relinquish coverage of all standardstorage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagatingintangible signals per se. In an aspect, tangible media can comprisenon-transitory media wherein the term “non-transitory” herein as may beapplied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, is to beunderstood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as amodifier and does not relinquish coverage of all standard storage,memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagatingtransitory signals per se. Computer-readable storage media can beaccessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., viaaccess requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for avariety of operations with respect to the information stored by themedium. As such, for example, a computer-readable medium can compriseexecutable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution,cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprisinggenerating an RRC connection release message further comprisingalterative band channel data.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructureddata in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrierwave or other transport mechanism, and comprises any informationdelivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signalsrefers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in one or moresignals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication mediacomprise wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wiredconnection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and otherwireless media.

It can be noted that FIG. 16 describes software that acts as anintermediary between users and computer resources described in suitableoperating environment 1600. Such software comprises an operating system1628. Operating system 1628, which can be stored on disk storage 1624,acts to control and allocate resources of computer system 1612. Systemapplications 1630 take advantage of the management of resources byoperating system 1628 through program modules 1632 and program data 1634stored either in system memory 1616 or on disk storage 1624. It is to benoted that the disclosed subject matter can be implemented with variousoperating systems or combinations of operating systems.

A user can enter commands or information into computer 1612 throughinput device(s) 1636. In some embodiments, a user interface can allowentry of user preference information, etc., and can be embodied in atouch sensitive display panel, a mouse/pointer input to a graphical userinterface (GUI), a command line controlled interface, etc., allowing auser to interact with computer 1612. Input devices 1636 comprise, butare not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball,stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellitedish, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, webcamera, cell phone, smartphone, tablet computer, etc. These and otherinput devices connect to processing unit 1614 through system bus 1618 byway of interface port(s) 1638. Interface port(s) 1638 comprise, forexample, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, a universal serialbus, an infrared port, a Bluetooth port, an IP port, or a logical portassociated with a wireless service, etc. Output device(s) 1640 use someof the same type of ports as input device(s) 1636.

Thus, for example, a universal serial bus port can be used to provideinput to computer 1612 and to output information from computer 1612 toan output device 1640. Output adapter 1642 is provided to illustratethat there are some output devices 1640 like monitors, speakers, andprinters, among other output devices 1640, which use special adapters.Output adapters 1642 comprise, by way of illustration and notlimitation, video and sound cards that provide means of connectionbetween output device 1640 and system bus 1618. It should be noted thatother devices and/or systems of devices provide both input and outputcapabilities such as remote computer(s) 1644.

Computer 1612 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1644. Remote computer(s) 1644 can be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, cloud storage, a cloud service, code executing ina cloud-computing environment, a workstation, a microprocessor basedappliance, a peer device, or other common network node and the like, andtypically comprises many or all of the elements described relative tocomputer 1612. A cloud computing environment, the cloud, or othersimilar terms can refer to computing that can share processing resourcesand data to one or more computer and/or other device(s) on an as neededbasis to enable access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources that can be provisioned and released readily. Cloud computingand storage solutions can store and/or process data in third-party datacenters which can leverage an economy of scale and can view accessingcomputing resources via a cloud service in a manner similar to asubscribing to an electric utility to access electrical energy, atelephone utility to access telephonic services, etc.

For purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device 1646 isillustrated with remote computer(s) 1644. Remote computer(s) 1644 islogically connected to computer 1612 through a network interface 1648and then physically connected by way of communication connection 1650.Network interface 1648 encompasses wire and/or wireless communicationnetworks such as local area networks and wide area networks. Local areanetwork technologies comprise fiber distributed data interface, copperdistributed data interface, Ethernet, Token Ring and the like. Wide areanetwork technologies comprise, but are not limited to, point-to-pointlinks, circuit-switching networks like integrated services digitalnetworks and variations thereon, packet switching networks, and digitalsubscriber lines. As noted below, wireless technologies may be used inaddition to or in place of the foregoing.

Communication connection(s) 1650 refer(s) to hardware/software employedto connect network interface 1648 to bus 1618. While communicationconnection 1650 is shown for illustrative clarity inside computer 1612,it can also be external to computer 1612. The hardware/software forconnection to network interface 1648 can comprise, for example, internaland external technologies such as modems, comprising regular telephonegrade modems, cable modems and digital subscriber line modems,integrated services digital network adapters, and Ethernet cards.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the subjectdisclosure, comprising what is described in the Abstract, is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to theprecise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples aredescribed herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications arepossible that are considered within the scope of such embodiments andexamples, as those skilled in the relevant art can recognize.

In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described inconnection with various embodiments and corresponding Figures, whereapplicable, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments can beused or modifications and additions can be made to the describedembodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitutefunction of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom.Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to anysingle embodiment described herein, but rather should be construed inbreadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims below.

As it employed in the subject specification, the term “processor” canrefer to substantially any computing processing unit or devicecomprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors;single-processors with software multithread execution capability;multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithreadexecution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithreadtechnology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributedshared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integratedcircuit, an application specific integrated circuit, a digital signalprocessor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logiccontroller, a complex programmable logic device, a discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Processorscan exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to,molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, inorder to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment.A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computingprocessing units.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,”“platform,” “layer,” “selector,” “interface,” and the like are intendedto refer to a computer-related entity or an entity related to anoperational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, whereinthe entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. As an example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration and not limitation, both anapplication running on a server and the server can be a component. Oneor more components may reside within a process and/or thread ofexecution and a component may be localized on one computer and/ordistributed between two or more computers. In addition, these componentscan execute from various computer readable media having various datastructures stored thereon. The components may communicate via localand/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having oneor more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting withanother component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across anetwork such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). Asanother example, a component can be an apparatus with specificfunctionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric orelectronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmwareapplication executed by a processor, wherein the processor can beinternal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part ofthe software or firmware application. As yet another example, acomponent can be an apparatus that provides specific functionalitythrough electronic components without mechanical parts, the electroniccomponents can comprise a processor therein to execute software orfirmware that confers at least in part the functionality of theelectronic components.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the naturalinclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or Xemploys both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any ofthe foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in thesubject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construedto mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from contextto be directed to a singular form.

Further, the term “include” is intended to be employed as an open orinclusive term, rather than a closed or exclusive term. The term“include” can be substituted with the term “comprising” and is to betreated with similar scope, unless otherwise explicitly used otherwise.As an example, “a basket of fruit including an apple” is to be treatedwith the same breadth of scope as, “a basket of fruit comprising anapple.”

Moreover, terms like “user equipment (UE),” “mobile station,” “mobile,”subscriber station,” “subscriber equipment,” “access terminal,”“terminal,” “handset,” and similar terminology, refer to a wirelessdevice utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communicationservice to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming,or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoingterms are utilized interchangeably in the subject specification andrelated drawings. Likewise, the terms “access point,” “base station,”“Node B,” “evolved Node B,” “eNodeB,” “home Node B,” “home accesspoint,” and the like, are utilized interchangeably in the subjectapplication, and refer to a wireless network component or appliance thatserves and receives data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming, orsubstantially any data-stream or signaling-stream to and from a set ofsubscriber stations or provider enabled devices. Data and signalingstreams can comprise packetized or frame-based flows.

Additionally, the terms “core-network”, “core”, “core carrier network”,“carrier-side”, or similar terms can refer to components of atelecommunications network that typically provides some or all ofaggregation, authentication, call control and switching, charging,service invocation, or gateways. Aggregation can refer to the highestlevel of aggregation in a service provider network wherein the nextlevel in the hierarchy under the core nodes is the distribution networksand then the edge networks. UEs do not normally connect directly to thecore networks of a large service provider but can be routed to the coreby way of a switch or radio access network. Authentication can refer todeterminations regarding whether the user requesting a service from thetelecom network is authorized to do so within this network or not. Callcontrol and switching can refer determinations related to the futurecourse of a call stream across carrier equipment based on the callsignal processing. Charging can be related to the collation andprocessing of charging data generated by various network nodes. Twocommon types of charging mechanisms found in present day networks can beprepaid charging and postpaid charging. Service invocation can occurbased on some explicit action (e.g., call transfer) or implicitly (e.g.,call waiting). It is to be noted that service “execution” may or may notbe a core network functionality as third party network/nodes may takepart in actual service execution. A gateway can be present in the corenetwork to access other networks. Gateway functionality can be dependenton the type of the interface with another network.

Furthermore, the terms “user,” “subscriber,” “customer,” “consumer,”“prosumer,” “agent,” and the like are employed interchangeablythroughout the subject specification, unless context warrants particulardistinction(s) among the terms. It should be appreciated that such termscan refer to human entities or automated components (e.g., supportedthrough artificial intelligence, as through a capacity to makeinferences based on complex mathematical formalisms), that can providesimulated vision, sound recognition and so forth.

Aspects, features, or advantages of the subject matter can be exploitedin substantially any, or any, wired, broadcast, wirelesstelecommunication, radio technology or network, or combinations thereof.Non-limiting examples of such technologies or networks comprisebroadcast technologies (e.g., sub-Hertz, extremely low frequency, verylow frequency, low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, veryhigh frequency, ultra-high frequency, super-high frequency, terahertzbroadcasts, etc.); Ethernet; X.25; powerline-type networking, e.g.,Powerline audio video Ethernet, etc.; femtocell technology; Wi-Fi;worldwide interoperability for microwave access; enhanced general packetradio service; third generation partnership project, long termevolution; third generation partnership project universal mobiletelecommunications system; third generation partnership project 2, ultramobile broadband; high speed packet access; high speed downlink packetaccess; high speed uplink packet access; enhanced data rates for globalsystem for mobile communication evolution radio access network;universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio accessnetwork; or long term evolution advanced.

The term “infer” or “inference” can generally refer to the process ofreasoning about, or inferring states of, the system, environment, user,and/or intent from a set of observations as captured via events and/ordata. Captured data and events can include user data, device data,environment data, data from sensors, sensor data, application data,implicit data, explicit data, etc. Inference, for example, can beemployed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate aprobability distribution over states of interest based on aconsideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniquesemployed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/ordata. Such inference results in the construction of new events oractions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whetherthe events, in some instances, can be correlated in close temporalproximity, and whether the events and data come from one or severalevent and data sources. Various classification schemes and/or systems(e.g., support vector machines, neural networks, expert systems,Bayesian belief networks, fuzzy logic, and data fusion engines) can beemployed in connection with performing automatic and/or inferred actionin connection with the disclosed subject matter.

What has been described above includes examples of systems and methodsillustrative of the disclosed subject matter. It is, of course, notpossible to describe every combination of components or methods herein.One of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many furthercombinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter arepossible. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,”“possesses,” and the like are used in the detailed description, claims,appendices and drawings such terms are intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpretedwhen employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: determiningdifferent modulation indexes for a code rate of a data transmission tobe sent to the device by network equipment in accordance with using amultiple-input and multiple-output communication protocol with a groupof layers; generating a first pair comprising the code rate and a firstmodulation index of the different modulation indexes; generating asecond pair comprising the code rate and a second modulation index ofthe different modulation indexes; mapping the first pair to a firstlayer of the group of layers based on signal interference valuesassociated with respective layers of the group of layers; mapping thesecond pair to a second layer of the group of layers based on the signalinterference values; and sending recommendation information to thenetwork equipment identifying the different modulation indexes for thecode rate, the first pair, the second pair, the first layer to which thefirst pair is mapped, and the second layer to which the second pair ismapped.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise: based on the sending, receiving the data transmission from thenetwork equipment in accordance with a scheduling configurationdetermined based on the recommendation information.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending the recommendationinformation in association with reporting channel state information tothe network equipment.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the signalinterference values comprise a first signal-to-noise plus interferenceratio associated with the first layer, and wherein mapping the firstpair comprises mapping based on the first signal-to-noise plusinterference ratio.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein determining thedifferent modulation indexes comprises determining the first modulationindex based on the first signal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 6. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the signal interference values comprise asecond signal-to-noise plus interference ratio associated with thesecond layer, and wherein mapping the second pair comprises mappingbased on the second signal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 7. Thedevice of claim 6, wherein determining the different modulation indexescomprises determining the second modulation index based on the secondsignal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 8. The device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise: determining signal-to-noiseplus interference ratios associated with the group of layers; anddetermining the first modulation index and the second modulation indexbased on the signal-to-noise plus interference ratios.
 9. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a lowestsignal-to-noise plus interference ratio associated with the group oflayers; and determining the first modulation index based on the lowestsignal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 10. The device of claim 9,wherein mapping the first pair comprises mapping the first pair to thefirst layer based on the first layer being associated with the lowestsignal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 11. The device of claim 9,wherein mapping the second pair comprises mapping the second pair to thesecond layer based on the second layer being associated with a highersignal-to-noise plus interference ratio relative to the lowestsignal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 12. The device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to the sending:receiving control information from the network equipment via a downlinkcontrol channel identifying a scheduling configuration determined forthe data transmission based on the recommendation information; andemploying the control information to decode the data transmission.
 13. Amethod, comprising: determining, by a device comprising a processor,different modulation indexes for a code rate of a data transmission tobe sent to the device by network equipment using a group of layers inaccordance with using a multiple-input and multiple-output communicationprotocol; determining, by the device, a first pair comprising the coderate and a first modulation index of the different modulation indexes;determining, by the device, a second pair comprising the code rate and asecond modulation index of the different modulation indexes; mapping, bythe device, the first pair to a first layer of the group of layers basedon signal interference values associated with respective layers of thegroup of layers; mapping, by the device, the second pair to a secondlayer of the group of layers based on the signal interference values;and sending, by the device, recommendation information to the networkequipment identifying the different modulation indexes for the coderate, the first pair, the second pair, the first layer to which thefirst pair is mapped, and the second layer to which the second pair ismapped.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: based onsending, receiving, by the device, the data transmission from thenetwork equipment in accordance with a scheduling configurationdetermined based on the recommendation information.
 15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein determining the different modulation indexes comprisesdetermining the first modulation index based on a first signal-to-noiseplus interference ratio associated with the first layer, and whereinmapping the first pair comprises mapping the first pair to the firstlayer based on the first signal-to-noise plus interference ratio beingassociated with the first layer.
 16. The method of claim 13, whereindetermining the different modulation indexes comprises determining thesecond modulation index based on a second signal-to-noise plusinterference ratio associated with the second layer, and wherein mappingthe second pair comprises mapping the second pair to the second layerbased on the second signal-to-noise plus interference ratio beingassociated with the second layer.
 17. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: determining, by the device, signal-to-noise plusinterference ratios associated with the group of layers; anddetermining, by the device, the first modulation index and the secondmodulation index based on the signal-to-noise plus interference ratios.18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining, by thedevice, a lowest signal-to-noise plus interference ratio associated withthe group of layers; and determining the first modulation index based onthe lowest signal-to-noise plus interference ratio, wherein mapping thefirst pair comprises mapping the first pair to the first layer based onthe first layer being associated with the lowest signal-to-noise plusinterference ratio, and wherein mapping the second pair comprisesmapping the second pair to the second layer based on the second layerbeing associated with a higher signal-to-noise plus interference ratiorelative to the lowest signal-to-noise plus interference ratio.
 19. Anon-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, facilitateperformance of operations, comprising: determining different modulationindexes for a code rate of a data transmission to be sent to the deviceby network equipment using layers in accordance with using amultiple-input and multiple-output communication protocol; determining afirst pair comprising the code rate and a first modulation index of thedifferent modulation indexes; determining a second pair comprising thecode rate and a second modulation index of the different modulationindexes; mapping the first pair to a first layer of the layers based onsignal interference values associated with respective layers of thelayers; mapping the second pair to a second layer of the layers based onthe signal interference values; and sending recommendation informationto the network equipment identifying the different modulation indexesfor the code rate, the first pair, the second pair, the first layer towhich the first pair is mapped, and the second layer to which the secondpair is mapped.
 20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium accordingto claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise: based on sending,receiving the data transmission from the network equipment in accordancewith a scheduling configuration determined based on the recommendationinformation.